you need to be making monthly 10 lists

a guide to doing things little by little

It is not groundbreaking to make little lists of things. People have been doing it for centuries. There are so many iconic variations on the form: pro and con lists, grocery lists, the classic ‘to do’. What makes a 10 list so special though, is that it isn’t something you have to get done. In fact, there are many 10 lists I’ve made where I don’t do very much at all.

Nothing makes me itch more than setting a quantifiable goal. I am of the humanities, I cannot handle numbers and patterns. A 10 list leads with feeling instead of action. It should encompass things that bring a little joy to your life, and yes maybe sometimes there’s a goal attached, but that goal should be playful and malleable. There are enough voices in my head telling me to be more productive. I need more voices telling me to feel things.

What is a 10 List?

A 10 list is 10 things you’d like to do this month with absolutely no consequences if you don’t. The goal is not to get a 10/10. Life is not homework. There is nobody handing out grades for a perfect score. Instead, the goal is to be someone who is always trying things. I’ve always been of the mind that if I inch a little closer every day towards the life I want, eventually I will find myself there.

my april 10 list

Mine is in my notes app for ease of access, but a 10 list should exist anywhere you will happen upon it. Write it as a post-it in your medicine cabinet, or fill out a piece of notebook paper and tape it to your bedroom door. Anywhere you can lay eyes on it daily is a good place for it to be.

Choosing Your 10

This is personal to the individual, but I’ve had some people ask me how I think of things to add to it. I do have a bit of a head start because I publish a monthly intentions post on the first of the month here on keepsake. I’ve already done the pre-work of considering what I’d like to move towards. For example, in March my intention was ‘creativity’. As a result my 10 list included things like drawing with colored pencils.

If you’re not sure where to start, think of what you get up to on a perfect day of. Maybe you sleep in, or have a diner breakfast, or have a long phone call with a far away friend. These are the things that make life living, and adding them to your 10 list helps you remember that! This way, you can prioritize those in between the chaos moments instead of happening upon them.

You can also use the seasons to facilitate your 10. In spring that can mean do a spring clean, watch some flowers bloom, go for a bike ride, etc. Do you have a trip coming up? Seeing a concert later? Down to host some friends for a dinner party? All of these are great thought starters to find your 10.

Here are a few you can steal.

• Lie in the grass

• Kiss someone

• Read a magazine cover to cover

• Watch a movie from the 70s

• Make time for doing nothing

• Listen to a new band

• Attempt to organize my bookshelf

• Cook for a friend

• Watch the sun set

• Stretch more

• Be someone who wears hats sometimes

• Pet some dogs

• Buy a fun top

• Wake up earlier

• Talk to a stranger at a bar

• Make bad/weird art

• Call my mom

• Take a class

• Get better at running

Trying is Succeeding

Let’s say I’m interested in knitting. I could write down ‘knit a sock’, but that’s so completionist. Instead, try framing things as attempt to knit a sock, research how to knit socks, knit more often. Then you don’t have to think of a deadline, you can just enjoy the activity at hand.

If you take the time to make a 10 list you’re already a winner! Congratulations on all the thinking and feeling you do!

If you’re in need of more inspo check out more intentions + prompts here, or in my paid exclusive posts club keepsake.

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